Oumi T, Ukena K, Matsushima O, Ikeda T, Fujita T, Minakata H, Nomoto K
Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Hiroshima University, Japan.
J Exp Zool. 1996 Oct 1;276(2):151-6. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-010X(19961001)276:2<151::AID-JEZ8>3.0.CO;2-N.
Annetocin, an oxytocin-related peptide which we isolated from the earthworm Eisenia foetida, induced a series of egg-laying-related behaviors in the earthworms. These stereotyped behaviors consisted of well-defined rotatory movements, characteristic body-shape changes, and mucous secretion from the clitellum. Each of these behaviors is known to be associated with formation of the cocoon in which eggs are deposited. In fact, some of the earthworms injected with annetocin (> 5 nmol) laid eggs. Such egg-laying-related behaviors except for oviposition were also induced by oxytocin, but not by Arg-vasopressin and some other bioactive peptides isolated from E. foetida. Furthermore, annetocin also induced these egg-laying-like behaviors in the leech Whitmania pigra, but not in the polychaete Perinereis vancaurica. These results suggest that annetocin plays some key role in triggering stereotyped egg-laying behaviors in terrestrial or fresh-water annelids that have the clitella.
蚓催产素是我们从蚯蚓赤子爱胜蚓中分离出的一种与催产素相关的肽，它能在蚯蚓中引发一系列与产卵相关的行为。这些刻板行为包括明确的旋转运动、特征性的体型变化以及环带的黏液分泌。已知这些行为中的每一种都与卵茧的形成有关，卵茧是用于产卵的。事实上，一些注射了蚓催产素（>5纳摩尔）的蚯蚓产了卵。除产卵外，催产素也能诱导这些与产卵相关的行为，但精氨酸加压素和从赤子爱胜蚓中分离出的其他一些生物活性肽则不能。此外，蚓催产素也能在宽体金线蛭中诱导这些类似产卵的行为，但在多毛纲的凡氏围沙蚕中则不能。这些结果表明，蚓催产素在触发具有环带的陆生或淡水环节动物的刻板产卵行为中发挥着关键作用。
